fatherhood continues
by nickstokesgirl102
Summary: Tyler is four now. what's in store for him and Nick?
1. Chapter 1

Fatherhood

Disclaimer: I own nothing(except Tyler). Everything else belongs to it's original owners.

Nick was at home with Tyler. Who was four years old now. The past three years had been great.

As Tyler got older he took interests in sports. He loved the Cowboys for football and the Rangers for baseball. He was now enrolled in preschool and he started tomorrow.

He loved his 'aunts' and 'uncles'. Nick took him to the lab a lot and Tyler loved seeing the team. They all adored Tyler and treated them as their actual nephew.

Nick's brother came in for a visit not long ago and Tyler got along well with his cousin.

Nick and Tyler were a team. Nick loved Tyler more than life itself. Tyler adored Nick more than anyone in the world. Right now they were playing in the backyard.

Tyler was playing on his power wheels jeep. It was his favorite toy. He drove the jeep around the inside of the fence.

"You can go faster Ty" Nick said.

"No I can't daddy. It's gonna waste gas and gas is expensive" Tyler said.

Nick couldn't help but laugh.

"Buddy, that doesn't take gas like my Tahoe. That runs on batteries" he said.

"Oh. When can I get a car like yours?" Tyler asked.

"When you're sixteen" Nick said.

"Is that a long time?" Tyler asked.

"Yeah" Nick said.

"Aw man" Tyler said.

"Wanna go play in the playroom buddy? It's hot out here" Nick said.

"Sure" Tyler said.

He got out of the jeep and followed Nick inside to the playroom.

"Can we play candy land daddy?" Tyler asked.

"Sure bud. Get it out and we'll set it up" Nick said.

Tyler got the game out and sat on the floor. Nick helped him set it up. They started playing. They played two games and Tyler won both.

"Ok buddy, clean it up and I'll go make dinner" Nick said.

"Can we go out to eat?" Tyler asked.

"Where do you wanna go?" Nick asked.

"The steakhouse place" Tyler said.

"Ok. We can go. Clean up and get ready" Nick said.

Tyler cleaned the game up and put it away. He went to the living room and put his shoes on.

"Can I take my game daddy?" Tyler asked.

"Yeah it's in the car" Nick said.

They went out to the car. Nick buckled Tyler into his booster seat.

"Where's my game daddy?" Tyler asked.

"Hold on buddy" Nick said

He reached into the seat pocket and pulled out Tyler's handheld video game. He handed it to Tyler. It was a educational, yet fun game for kids Tyler's age. The games had characters from TV shows and they taught kids letters, numbers, shapes, and other things. Tyler loved it so for Nick it was a good investment.

Nick shut the door and got into the driver's seat. He started driving. Tyler quietly played a game in the backseat.

"Daddy, what's five plus five?" he asked suddenly.

The games taught math so sometime Tyler needed help.

"Ten buddy" Nick said.

"Thanks daddy" Tyler said.

When they got to the restraunt they went inside. A waitress led them to their table.

Another waitress took their drink orders.

"You ready for preschool tomorrow Ty?" Nick asked as he looked over the menu.

"No" Tyler said.

"Why not?" Nick asked.

"Cause I won't be at home with you" Tyler said.

"Buddy, it's only for half a day. It ends at lunch time. So you'll come and eat lunch" Nick said.

"But I still won't be at home" Tyler said.

"You'll have fun buddy. You'll make some friends" Nick said.

"I don't need friends daddy" Tyler said.

"Preschool will be fun buddy, I promise" Nick said.

He found the kids menu.

"What do you want bud? Chicken, a cheeseburger, grilled cheese, macaroni and cheese, or a steak?" Nick asked.

"Does the steak come with fries?" Tyler asked.

"Yeah. You can get two sides" Nick said.

"Ok. I want the steak" Tyler said.

The waitress came over with their drinks. Then she took their food orders.

"I'll have a steak with fries and he'll take the kids cheeseburger with fries and…what other side do you want Tyler?" Nick asked.

"Fruit" Tyler said with out taking his eyes off the game he was playing.

"Fries and fruit for sides" Nick said.

"Ok. I'll put those right in" the waitress said.

She walked away.

"Are you going to work tonight daddy?" Tyler asked.

"Nope. It's my night off. But after that Ms. Lily is gonna come over here to watch you. You'll already be in bed and you'll see me in the morning" Nick said.

"Daddy, can I ask you something?" Tyler asked.

"Of course buddy. You can ask me anything" Nick said.

"What happened to my mommy?" Tyler asked.

Nick froze in place. He didn't know how to explain this to Tyler.

Note: there's the first chapter of the new story. I know the second one isn't finished yet but I decided to get this one up.


	2. Chapter 2

Fatherhood

Disclaimer: I own nothing(except Tyler). Everything else belongs to it's original owners.

Nick tried to think about how to explain that to Tyler. He hadn't planned on telling him so early.

"Well bud, your mommy made some bad choices and she hurt people. She went to jail" Nick said.

"Is she ever coming back?" Tyler asked.

"No buddy. I'm sorry. Always remember that she loves you" Nick said.

Tyler nodded.

"Hey, how about we go to the park after this? Then later we can get some ice cream" Nick said.

Tyler perked up.

"Yeah!" he said.

Nick smiled, glad to see Tyler happy again.

"Did you go to preschool daddy?" Tyler asked.

"Yeah" Nick said.

"Did you like it?" Tyler asked.

"Not at first but after awhile I liked it" Nick said.

The waitress brought their food. Then she walked away.

"Daddy, I said I wanted steak" Tyler said.

"Sorry buddy. I forgot. You always get cheeseburgers" Nick said.

"It's ok daddy" Tyler said as he started eating.

Nick started eating as well.

When they finished the waitress brought the check. Nick paid then they left.

"Daddy, can we just go home?" Tyler asked.

"Sure buddy. We can baseball on the play station" Nick said.

"Cool. I'm gonna win!" Tyler said.

Nick laughed.

"I call the Rangers!" Tyler said.

"Ok buddy. You can have the Rangers" Nick said.

When they got home they went inside. Nick set up the play station for him and Tyler. Tyler was good at the baseball game.

Tyler picked the Rangers, while Nick picked the Yankees. They started the game.

In the end Tyler beat Nick by one run. Nick gave Tyler his snack and cleaned up a little bit.

"Bath time buddy" Nick said when Tyler finished his snack.

He and Tyler went upstairs to the bathroom. He started the bathwater. When the tub was full enough Nick turned the water off. Tyler got in.

Nick started to wash his hair.

"Are you sure I need to go to preschool daddy?" Tyler asked.

"Yes buddy. You do need to go" Nick said.

"But you can teach me" Tyler said.

"Buddy, I'd have to get a license for home schooling" Nick said.

"Ok. I'll go" Tyler said.

"Don't worry. I'll drop you off and I'll pick you up when it's over. I'll even get there earlier" Nick said.

"Thanks daddy!" Tyler said.

When Tyler finished his bath he put his pajamas on. Then they sat on Tyler's bed to read one of Tyler's favorite stories. When they finished Nick tucked Tyler in.

"Night Tyler. I'll see you in the morning. I love you" Nick said.

"Night daddy" Tyler said.

Nick kissed Tyler's forehead and pulled the blanket up. He turned Tyler's nightlight on. Then he went to the door and switched the light off. He left the room and went to his room. He took a long hot shower.

He was surprised that Tyler had asked about his mother. Nick didn't think Tyler would ask about that until he was at least six or seven.

Nick turned the shower off and got out. He went to the bedroom and got a pair of boxers. He crawled into bed and laid down. He was asleep once his head hit the pillow.

Note: I know this is short. Next chapter will be longer.


	3. Chapter 3

Fatherhood

Disclaimer: I own nothing(except Tyler). Everything else belongs to it's original owners.

The next morning Nick woke Tyler up at eight 'o clock. School started at nine. Tyler wasn't a morning person so he slowly got out of bed.

"Ok buddy. Pick some of your new clothes to wear" Nick said.

Tyler went over to his closet and looked at his clothes. He pulled his new Ranger's shirt and jeans.

"You get dressed. I'll go make your breakfast" Nick said.

"What're you making?" Tyler asked.

"Pancakes, bacon, and eggs" Nick said.

"Cool thanks daddy!" Tyler said.

Nick went downstairs to the kitchen and started making breakfast. Tyler walked in.

"I'm ready daddy" he said.

"Good job bud. You can watch TV until breakfast is ready" Nick said.

Tyler went to the living room. Nick couldn't believe that Tyler was starting preschool already. It seemed like just Yesterday that Tyler was left on his doorstep.

Now he was four years old and going to preschool. Time had flown by. When Nick finished making breakfast he called Tyler to the dining room. Tyler climbed into a chair and started eating. Nick sat down to eat as well.

"Daddy, what if the other kids don't like me?" Tyler asked.

"You'll make some friends Tyler. Don't worry" Nick said.

"Are you sure?" Tyler asked.

"Yes I'm sure" Nick said.

"What're you gonna do when I'm in school?" Tyler asked.

"I'll probably go to the store and buy groceries" Nick said.

"That's all?" Tyler asked.

"Yeah" Nick said.

"Do I gotta take a nap when I get home daddy?" Tyler asked.

Nick laughed at little. Tyler was so full of questions.

"Yeah buddy. You know you have to take a half hour nap every day. Otherwise you get grumpy" Nick said.

"Ok" Tyler said with a roll of his eyes.

Nick laughed a little.

When they finished breakfast Nick cleaned up the kitchen. It was going on eight-forty. Nick decided to head out.

"Come on Tyler" he said.

Tyler got off the couch and walked over to the door. He sat down to put his shoes on. Nick turned the TV off and went to put his own shoes on. He grabbed his keys.

"Grab your book and we'll go" he said.

Tyler grabbed his race car book bag and headed out the door with Nick.

"Stand in front of the Tahoe buddy. I'll take your picture" Nick said.

Tyler stood in front of the Tahoe and Nick took his picture with his phone. He set it was his wallpaper.

"Ok bud, get in" Nick said.

Tyler opened the door and climbed into his booster seat. Nick buckled him in. Then he got in and started driving.

When he got to the preschool he and Tyler headed inside. Tyler held tightly to Nick's hand as they walked into the classroom.

"See Tyler. You're gonna have fun" Nick said.

Tyler buried his face into Nick's leg. The teacher walked over.

"Hi. I'm Ms. Clove" she said.

"Nick Stokes. This is my son Tyler. He's in your class" Nick said.

"I think I remember you from open house" Ms. Clove said.

"Great. We're going to have a lot of fun this year" Ms. Clove said.

Tyler didn't look at her.

"Come on Ty. You can say hi" Nick said.

"Hi" Tyler mumbled.

"He's really shy" Nick said.

"That's ok" Ms. Clove said.

Nick peeled Tyler off his leg and crouched down.

"I gotta get going Ty. I'll be back soon ok?" Nick asked.

Tyler nodded and wrapped his arms around Nick's neck. Nick returned the hug.

"Bye daddy" Tyler said sadly.

"Bye buddy. You'll have fun, I promise" Nick said.

Tyler nodded. Nick kissed his forehead and stood up.

"He'll be fine" Ms. Clove said.

"Thanks" Nick said.

He walked out of the classroom and walked down the hall. He got out to the parking lot and got into his Tahoe. He started driving to the store.

When he got there he went inside. While he was shopping he ran into Catherine.

"Hey Nicky. What's up?" Catherine asked.

"Not much. Just killing some time until Tyler gets out of preschool" Nick said.

"When does he get out?" Catherine asked.

"Noon" Nick said.

"That's not bad" Catherine said.

"Yeah but I'm used to having him home all day so it's a little difficult" Nick said.

"Right. I understand you" Catherine said.

"I just can't believe he's in school already" Nick said.

"Kids grow up fast Nicky" Catherine said.

Nick nodded.

"How was Tyler when you dropped him off?" Catherine asked.

"He was upset. I didn't want to leave him like that but the teacher told he'd be fine" Nick said.

"She's right. He will be fine. If there's a problem she'll call you. Trust me Nicky, when you get there to pick him up, he's going to be laughing and playing" Catherine said.

Nick nodded.

"Thanks Cath" he said.

"I gotta get going Nicky. I'll see you at work tonight" Catherine said.

"Yeah bye" Nick said.

He went back to grocery shopping. When he finished he paid for everything went out to the Tahoe. He put everything in the back. Then he got in and drove home.

When he got home he took care of everything. He looked at his watch. It was only ten-thirty. Nick sighed. He still had awhile. He decided to go to the gym. He went and got ready. Then he headed out.


	4. Chapter 4

Fatherhood

Disclaimer: I own nothing(except Tyler). Everything else belongs to it's original owners.

Nick worked out at the gym until eleven-thirty. Then he left to head to the preschool. He got there fifteen minutes before school let out so he waited in the car for awhile.

At noon he went inside and headed to Tyler's classroom. The kids were getting ready to go. Ms. Clove saw him and waved him inside. Nick stepped into the room.

Ms. Clove walked over to him.

"How'd he do?" Nick asked.

"At first he was really shy but then he started playing with a few other kids and he's been great ever since" Ms. Clove said.

Nick sighed in relief.

"Tyler, your daddy is here!" Ms. Clove said.

Tyler looked over his shoulder and smiled.

He ran over to Nick. Nick caught Tyler in his arms and lifted him up.

"Hi daddy! I missed you" Tyler said.

"I missed you too buddy. Did you have fun?" Nick asked.

"Yeah" Tyler said.

"Good. Go get your book bag and we'll go" Nick said.

He kissed Tyler's forehead and set him down.

"Tyler is very smart" Ms. Clove said.

"Thank you" Nick said.

"He's very eager to learn" Ms. Clove said.

"Yeah. He's like that at home too. He has a video game that teaches him shapes, numbers, and letters. He loves that" Nick said.

Tyler ran back over.

Nick lifted him up.

"Bye Tyler. See you tomorrow" Ms. Clove said.

"Bye" Tyler said with a wave.

"Bye" Nick said.

He walked out of the room and walked down the hall. He went out to his Tahoe and buckled Tyler into his booster seat.

Then he got in and started driving.

"Want to eat at MacDonald's bud?" he asked.

"Yeah" Tyler said.

Nick drove to MacDonald's. When they there they went inside.

Nick ordered the food. Then they waited for the food.

"You can go play buddy" Nick said.

"I don't wanna" Tyler said.

Nick knew Tyler wasn't gonna leave his side.

When they got their food Nick found a table and sat down.

He gave Tyler his food.

"So what'd you do in school buddy?" Nick asked.

"We played a game called all about me. We went around a circle and said our name and something we liked" Tyler said.

"That's cool buddy. What did you say?" Nick asked.

"I said liked baseball and football" Tyler said.

"Did you make any friends?" Nick asked.

"Yeah. Kobi, Ryan, Kenzie, and Ella" Tyler said.

"That's good" Nick said.

"We played with the blocks and we built a whole city!" Tyler said.

"That sounds cool bud. So you like preschool now?" Nick asked.

"Yeah. But I missed you" Tyler said.

"I missed you too buddy" Nick said.

When they finished eating they left the restraunt.

Nick looked in the rearview mirror to check on Tyler just five minutes after they left the restraunt. Tyler was sound asleep in his booster seat. Nick smiled and continued to drive home.

When he got home he carefully unbuckled Tyler from his booster seat. He grabbed the book bag and went inside. He dropped the book bag by the door and pulled Tyler's shoes off. Then he went to the living room and laid Tyler on the couch. He covered him with a blanket.

Then he sat down in the recliner chair to take a nap. He wanted to get some sleep for work tonight. He fell asleep.

He was awoken by Tyler later on.

"Hey buddy" Nick said.

"Hi daddy. Can we go play in the backyard?" Tyler asked.

"Sure Ty" Nick said.

He looked at his watch. It was three o' clock. They'd both slept for awhile.

They went out to the backyard. They spent hours in the backyard playing with every toy Tyler had.

They finally went inside at four-thirty to eat dinner.

Nick made Tyler a hot dog, with mashed potatoes, corn, broccoli with cheese dipping sauce, a little bit or rice, and a glass of milk. He made sure Tyler at healthy for the most part. Even when they went out.

Tyler could be a little stubborn but eventually ate. He didn't really like broccoli but if he had cheese dipping sauce he would eat it.

"Do I have to eat the broccoli daddy?" Tyler asked when he saw the broccoli on his plate.

"Yeah buddy. At least one piece. You got your cheese right there. I'm eating some too" Nick said.

"Ok" Tyler said.

He picked a piece of broccoli and dipped it in the cheese sauce. He took a bite.

"Good job buddy" Nick said.

"Can we have spaghetti tomorrow daddy?" Tyler asked.

"Sure buddy. I'll start making after I drop you off at school" Nick said.

"Thanks daddy" Tyler said.

By the end of dinner Tyler had eaten half of everything on his plate.

"Good job buddy. I'm gonna clean the kitchen then we can watch a movie" Nick said.

"Ok. Can I help you?" Tyler asked.

"Sure bud. Come on" Nick said.

They went to the kitchen. Nick opened the dishwasher.

"When I hand something, you're gonna put it in there ok?" Nick asked.

"Got it" Tyler said.

Nick started scraping food into the garbage can and rinsing the dishes off. The he handed Tyler the dishes. Tyler put them in the dishwasher.

"Good job buddy. Thanks" Nick said.

"Can we watch the movie now?" Tyler asked.

"Yeah. Go pick one" Nick said.

Tyler ran off. Nick cleaned the counters and the table. Then he went to the living room where Tyler was waiting with a movie.

"What're we watching Ty?" Nick asked.

Tyler held up his favorite movie, 'The Fox and The Hound'.

"Good choice buddy" Nick said.

He took the movie from Tyler and put it in. Then he sat down on the couch next to Tyler to watch the movie.

Note: there's chapter 4. More interaction with the team coming soon.


	5. Chapter 5

Fatherhood

Disclaimer: I own nothing(except Tyler). Everything else belongs to it's original owners.

At work that night shift was slow. Everyone was sitting in the break room.

"You know, we haven't had a get together in while. How about on Saturday we have a cookout at my place?" Nick asked.

"Sounds good Nick I'm in" Warrick said.

"Me too" Sara said.

"I'll come" Catherine said.

"I'm in" Greg said.

"Grissom? You in?" Nick asked.

"Sure" Nick said.

"It's September so this might the last cookout we can have where it's still semi warm out" Warrick said.

"Yeah. That's what I was thinking" Nick said.

"How's Tyler doing Nick?" Greg asked.

"Great. He started preschool" Nick said.

"He like it?" Warrick asked.

"Yeah. He was nervous at first but he said he had fun" Nick said.

"Is he there all day?" Sara asked.

"No, he gets out at noon" Nick said.

"Was it different without him there?" Greg asked.

"Yeah I got groceries. When I got home to take care of them it was too quiet. So I went to the gym" Nick said.

Brass walked into the room.

"Everyone can go home early" he said.

"Really?" Warrick asked.

"Yeah. There's no cases and it's going for five-thirty. Shift is over at seven. No sense in sitting her for another two hours. If case does come up dayshift will handle it" Brass said.

Everyone thanked Brass and headed home. Lily was surprised to see Nick home so early.

"They let us go because there were no cases" Nick said.

"Ok. Tyler woke up once about an hour ago. He wet the bed so I put him in your room" Lily said.

"Ok thanks Lily" Nick said.

Lily left.

Nick went upstairs to his room and saw Tyler curled up on his bed, sound asleep.

Then he went to Tyler's room. He took the sheets off the bed and took them down the washer. He put them in and started it. Then he went to the living room and sat down on the couch. He set an alarm on his phone just in case he fell asleep. He watched TV for awhile before he fell asleep.

He woke up when he heard his phone of off and at eight. He got up and went upstairs to his room. He woke Tyler up.

"Hi daddy!" Tyler yelled.

Tyler was always really happy to see Nick in the morning. He knew that Nick's job was dangerous and that one morning Nick might not be there. Nick hoped that day wouldn't come for a long time.

"Hey buddy. Go get dressed and I'll get your cereal" Nick said.

Tyler gave Nick a quick hug and ran down the hall to his room. Nick went downstairs to the kitchen. He put cereal and milk in a bowl for Tyler. He put a bagel and yogurt on the side. Tyler walked into the room.

"What do you want to drink Ty?" Nick asked.

"Orange juice please" Tyler said. Nick poured orange juice into a small cup for Tyler.

"Here bud" Nick said.

"Thanks daddy" Tyler said. They went to the table.

"Guess what buddy, everyone's gonna come over for a cookout on Saturday" Nick said.

"Really?" Tyler asked.

"Yeah" Nick said.

"Cool. I can show them my jeep" Tyler said.

"You sure can buddy" Nick said.

By the time Tyler finished his breakfast, he had yogurt on his face.

Nick got a washcloth and wiped his face.

"Go brush your teeth, then we'll go" Nick said.

Tyler ran upstairs. Nick got ready to go. He'd eat when he got back.

Tyler came back down a few minutes later.

He put his shoes on and grabbed his book bag.

"Let's go daddy" Tyler said.

"Ok buddy. I'm coming" Nick said.

They headed out the door.


	6. Chapter 6

Fatherhood

Disclaimer: I own nothing(except Tyler). Everything else belongs to it's original owners.

On Saturday Nick and Tyler got up early to go to the store to buy stuff for the cookout.

When the got to the store Nick got a cart and put Tyler in it.

"Ok bud, first we need hotdogs and hamburgers" Nick said.

They went to the frozen food section and hamburgers and precooked hamburger meat.

"Now what?" Tyler asked.

"We need buns" Nick said.

He found the isle and got buns.

"What else?" Tyler asked.

"Ketchup and mustard" Nick said.

"Ew. Mustard is icky daddy" Tyler said.

"Well peanut butter is icky to me and you eat it" Nick said.

Tyler laughed.

"Peanut butter isn't icky daddy" he said.

Nick got the ketchup and mustard.

"Uh oh buddy. We gotta go back and get tofu dogs for Aunt Sara" Nick said.

"What're tofu dogs?" Tyler asked.

"It's a hot dog for vegetarians buddy" Nick said.

"What's that?" Tyler asked.

"Someone who doesn't eat meat" Nick said.

He got the tofu dogs.

"We gotta get drinks daddy" Tyler said.

"Uncle Warrick is bringing the drinks buddy" Nick said.

"What about chips?" Tyler asked.

"Aunt Sara is bringing those" Nick said.

Nick went to the front and paid for everything. Then they left the store.

They went home. Nick put everything away.

Everyone was coming over at twelve-thirty. Nick hoped Tyler wouldn't be to grumpy from not taking a nap.

At about half past twelve there was a knock at the door. Tyler ran to answer the door.

"Who is it?" he asked.

"It's uncle Warrick" Warrick said.

Tyler opened the door.

"Hi Warrick!" he said.

"Hey buddy. Where's your daddy?" Warrick asked.

"In the kitchen" Tyler said.

He ran to the kitchen.

"It's uncle Warrick daddy" he said.

"Cool. Hey bro" Nick said.

He took the drink boxes from him and put them in the fridge.

"So Tyler, your daddy says you really like preschool" Warrick said.

"Yeah. It's fun" Tyler said.

Soon enough Tyler disappeared down the hall to the playroom. Nick checked on him frequently. Everyone else showed up and Nick went down the hall to get Tyler.

"Come out and see everyone Tyler" he said.

"But daddy I'm building a tower" Tyler said.

"You can finish it later. We're gonna go out to the backyard and you can ride your jeep" Nick said.

"Ok!" Tyler said.

He and got up. He followed Nick out of the room. They went to the living room.

"Hi Tyler" Catherine said.

"Hi aunt Catherine" Tyler said.

"How's preschool Tyler?" Sara asked.

"Good" Tyler said.

They all went out to the backyard.

Tyler rode around on his jeep for awhile. He eventually grew tired of it.

"Daddy, can you get the bounce house?" Tyler asked.

"Sure buddy. I'll be right back guys" Nick said.

He got up and went to the garage. He the bounce house. He took back to the backyard. He set it up.

"It's gonna take a little bit to blow up buddy" he said.

"Ok. Can I go get a drink?" Tyler asked.

"Yeah buddy" Nick said.

Tyler ran inside. He came back out a few minutes later with a juice box.

He sat down in his chair on the back deck.

"You're good at driving your jeep Tyler. You're a better driver than Aunt Sara" Warrick said, causing everyone except Sara to laugh.

"I'm not that bad of a driver" Sara said.

"You drive really slow Sara. Plus, you swerve a lot" Nick said.

"To miss the people that are speeding!" Sara said.

"They aren't speeding. They're going the speed limit" Nick said.

"Are you really a bad driver aunt Sara?" Tyler asked.

"No Tyler. I'm good driver. They're only joking" Sara said.

"Daddy, I'm hungry" Tyler said.

"Yeah. I'm getting hungry too buddy" Nick said.

"Want some help with the grill?" Warrick asked.

"Yeah. It's in the garage" Nick said.

The guys went to get the grill. Tyler ran off to play in his bounce house. When the guys came back with the grill Nick went inside to get the food.

"Tyler, do you want a burger or a hotdog?" Nick asked.

"A cheeseburger!" Tyler said.

Nick started grilling the food.

"Uncle Greg, come play!" Tyler said.

Greg got up and went to play with Tyler in the bounce house. Tyler showed him how to do flips.

"Can you do a back flip buddy?" Greg asked.

"No. I tried but I can't do it" Tyler said.

"It's easy. Just flip backwards instead of forwards" Greg said.

He showed Tyler how to do a back flip. It took him about five tries to get it but he finally did.

"Daddy I did a back flip!" Tyler yelled.

"Good job buddy!" Nick said.

Tyler got off the bounce house and went to get his drink.

He went to play in the yard.

"Daddy, there's a big spider on my basketball hoop!" Tyler said.

"I'll get it Nick" Grissom said.

He went down to the yard.

"Where is it Tyler?" he asked.

"Right there" Tyler said pointing at the spider.

"That's just daddy long leg. He's harmless" Grissom said.

He picked the spider up and let it crawl on his hand.

"See, he's ok" he said.

He put it on Tyler's hand.

"Cool!" Tyler said.

Grissom went to his Tahoe and got a specimen jar from his kit. He went back to the backyard and took the spider from Tyler. He put it in the specimen jar.

"You're gonna keep him?" Tyler asked.

"Yeah. I'll keep him in my office" Grissom said.

They both went back up to the porch.

"Is the food ready daddy?" Tyler asked.

"Almost buddy. Can you go get the chips from the table?" Nick asked.

Tyler ran inside. He back out a few minutes later carrying three bags of chips. He put them on the table.

"Thank you buddy" Nick said.

When the food was ready everyone sat down to eat.

Note: here's the sixth chapter. Little longer than the others.

Spoiler alert: trouble may come to Nick and Tyler soon.


	7. Chapter 7

Fatherhood

Disclaimer: I own nothing(except Tyler). Everything else belongs to it's original owners.

The next day Nick and Tyler were in the front yard. Nick was cleaning out his

Tahoe and Tyler was helping him.

"Here's your monster truck buddy" Nick said as he handed Tyler a small

monster truck from underneath a seat.

"I've been looking for this!" Tyler said excitedly.

"I know. You left it in here" Nick said.

"Are you gonna leave it in here to play with in the car or are you going to

take it inside?" Nick asked.

"Leave it here" Tyler said.

"Ok. Put it in the box with your other toys" Nick said.

Tyler did as he was told.

Nick handed him his game.

"Take this inside buddy. So you know where it is" he said.

Tyler took his game inside.

He came back out.

"Do I have to keep helping daddy?" he asked.

"Not if you don't want to" Nick said.

"Ok" Tyler said.

He got his baseball and glove out. He tossed the baseball up and in air and

caught it in his glove.

At one point he missed the baseball and it rolled down the sidewalk and

into the road. Tyler went after it.

"Tyler, get away from the road" Nick said.

"I gotta get my baseball" Tyler said.

"I'll get it" Nick said.

But it was too late. Tyler had stepped into the road just as a car was coming.

Nick ran towards the road. But he wasn't fast enough. Tyler was hit by the

car.

Note: I know. Horrible. And I know, short chapter. The next one will be longer.


	8. Chapter 8

Fatherhood

Disclaimer: I own nothing(except Tyler). Everything else belongs to it's original owners.

"No!" Nick screamed.

He ran into the road and knelt down next to Tyler. Tyler's eyes were closed,

blood was coming from the side of his head, and it looked like his arm was

broken.

The person got out of his car.

"I'm sorry. I didn't have time to stop" he said.

"Call an ambulance" Nick said.

He tried to wake Tyler up. But Tyler was unresponsive.

Nick felt for a pulse. He sighed in relief when he felt one.

It gave him some hope.

The ambulance got there twenty minutes later. They wasted no time looking

over Tyler.

"Possible skull fracture" one medic said.

"How old is he?" another medic asked.

"Four" Nick said.

"What happened?" the medic asked.

"He was hit by a car" Nick said.

The medic put a neck collar on Tyler's neck and strapped him onto a backboard. Then loaded him onto a stretcher.

"Let's move" one medic said.

They put Tyler into the ambulance.

"I'm riding" Nick said. The medics let him climb in. Then one medic got into the back and the other medic got into the front to drive.

The medic in the back checked over Tyler. He hooked him up to a portable heart monitor. He listened to his breathing.

"Radio in that we have a four year old male, hit by a car, possible skull fracture and having trouble breathing" he said.

He started to hook Tyler up to a ventilator.

Nick watched as the medic worked to keep his son alive. He just gripped Tyler's tiny hand in his own.

"I-is he gonna be ok?" he asked.

"I can't say right now. He has some pretty serious injuries" the medic said.

Nick couldn't believe this. Tyler was only four with his whole life ahead of him. Nick would switch places with him if he could.

When they got to the hospital the medics rushed Tyler inside.

There was a doctor and nurses waiting for them. Nick was ripped away from Tyler. He could only watch as Tyler was hooked up to different machines and stuck by needles. Then he was rushed away.

Nick tried to follow but a nurse redirected him to the waiting room.

Nick called everyone from the team, who all promised to come right away.

Then he called his parents. They said they'd be on the next flight out.

Nick waited for ten minutes. Catherine was the first one to show up.

"Nicky, where is he?" she asked.

"I don't know. The medic said his injuries were serious" Nick said.

"What happened?" Catherine asked.

"We were outside and I was cleaning the car. He was playing with his baseball and glove. His baseball rolled into the road and he went after it. I told him I'd get it but he stepped into the road anyway and a car hit him" Nick said.

Tears were falling down his cheeks.

"Ok Nicky. I'm sure Tyler will be fine. He has his dad's strength" Catherine said.

The rest of the team started showing up.

They all tried to calm Nick down but it was impossible.

A doctor walked up to them.

"Family of Tyler Stokes" he said.

They all stood up.

"I'm his father" Nick said.

"He's being air lifted to the children's hospital as we speak. We don't have the technology or tools to treat him" the doctor said.

"Can you tell me how he's doing?" Nick asked.

"He has a collapsed lung, a skull fracture, some broken ribs, bruised organs, bruises, and cuts" the doctor said.

"Is he gonna live?" Nick asked.

"The children's hospital will be able to tell you more" the doctor said.

The team rushed out. Nick got a ride with Warrick.

"Warrick…he can't die. He just can't" Nick said.

"He's not gonna die Nick" Warrick said.

They made it to the children's hospital after everyone else. Nick went to the desk and asked about Tyler.

He was told that Tyler was in surgery.

Nick sat down in the chairs. He called his parents and updated them. He was up and down. He paced a little bit, then he was reading a magazine, then he asking the nurse at the desk more questions.

"Nick! Just sit still!" Sara said.

"Well excuse me! Your son isn't in the hospital fighting for life!" Nick said.

"He's our nephew Nick! We're worried too" Sara said.

"Sara, don't yell at him" Warrick said.

Sara knew he was right. She shouldn't yell at Nick while he was like this.

Nick paced the room more.

"Nick, let's go to the cafeteria and get some coffee" Catherine said.

Nick agreed. He'd do anything to keep busy.

He and Catherine went to the cafeteria and got coffee. They took it back to the team.

Nick drank his entire coffee in just ten minutes.

A doctor walked up to them.

"Tyler Stokes family" he said.

Everyone stood up.

"I'm his dad" Nick said.

"Ok, come with me" the doctor said.

"No. I want them to hear it too" Nick said.

"Ok. First off let me tell you that Tyler is going to live" he said.

Nick sighed in relief. As did the rest of the team.

"His skull fracture isn't as bad as they thought it was. He had a little bit of internal bleeding but we took care of that. Right now we have him in a medically induced coma to help him heal. We'll let him wake up next week or the week after that. He is hooked up to a lot of machines and he's really bruised so he looks worse than he is" the doctor said.

Nick sighed in relief.

"Thank you. Can I see him?" he asked.

"Yes. But I can only allow you in" the doctor said.

"They're like his family. They have to go in. Plus his grandparents are coming in and his uncle might be coming in" Nick said.

"Ok. But after that, that's it" the doctor said.

He led them to Tyler's room.

"You can all go in now but after that limit it to two at a time" the doctor said.

The team agreed and went in.

Tyler was hooked up to a heart monitor, a ventilator and an IV. The monitor had a steady beep. It was the tube in Tyler's throat the scared Nick the most. Tyler's body was covered in bruises. Nick grabbed his hand.

"Hey buddy, it's daddy" he said.

He leaned down and kissed his forehead.

"I love you buddy" he said.

Everyone on the team talked to Tyler for a few minutes.

They didn't know if he could hear them but it made them feel better.

The team soon left, but not before Grissom told Nick to take a leave of absence until Tyler was completely healed.

Soon it was just Nick and Tyler.

Note: so Tyler will be ok. I would never hurt Tyler really bad.


	9. Chapter 9

Fatherhood

Disclaimer: I own nothing(except Tyler). Everything else belongs to it's original owners.

Nick was sitting in Tyler's room holding Tyler's hand. The door opened and the doctor walked in.

"Mr. Stokes, there are three people out here saying they know you" he said.

"It's my parents and brother. They can come in" Nick said.

The doctor let the three in the room.

"Oh Nicky, he looks so bad" Jillian said.

"He looks worse than he is. He's gonna be ok" Nick said.

"Good" Bill said.

Jillian kissed Tyler's forehead and sat down in the other chair.

"What happened Nick?" his brother Luke asked.

"We were in the front yard. I was cleaning the Tahoe and he was playing with his baseball and glove. His baseball rolled into the road and he went after it. I told him to get away from the road and that I'd get his baseball. But he stepped into the road and a car hit him" Nick said.

"You better not be blaming yourself" Bill said.

"Of course I'm blaming myself dad. I was there. I could've prevented it!" Nick said.

"It's not your fault Nick. Don't blame yourself for this" Luke said.

"It's just not fair you know? Tyler never did anything wrong and he didn't deserve this. Why did it have to be him? Why couldn't it have been me?" Nick asked.

"Nick, Tyler's gonna be ok" Bill said.

"I know but still, it shouldn't have happened" Nick said.

"When was the last time you slept?" Jillian asked.

"Uh…I don't know. Before last shift" Nick said.

"Nick, you need to go home and get some sleep" Jillian said.

"I'm not leaving Tyler" Nick said firmly.

"Nick, you're gonna help Tyler depriving yourself of sleep" Bill said.

Nick sighed.

"Only a few hours. Someone has to be with Tyler at all times" Nick said.

"Ok Nick. Your father and I will stay here. Luke can you drive Nick back to his place?" Jillian asked.

"Yeah. Come on Nick" Luke said.

Nick stood up and kissed Tyler's forehead. He and his brother walked out.

His brother drove him to his house.

"Get some sleep and don't go back to the hospital for at least five hours" Luke said.

"Yeah, ok" Nick said.

He went inside. He went to his bathroom and took a long shower. Then he laid down to get some sleep.

He slept got about six hours. He woke up feeling refreshed but not happy. He got up and went to Tyler's room. He grabbed Tyler's teddy bear and the blanket from Tyler's bed.

He put them in a duffel bag. Then he headed to the hospital. Once he got there he went to Tyler's room.

"Hi Nick. Did you get some sleep?" Jillian asked.

"Yeah. I feel a lot more awake now" Nick said.

He opened the duffel bag and grabbed the teddy bear. He put it next to Tyler. Then he put the blanket over him.

"I figured familiar things would help" Nick said.

"That's good Nick" Jillian said.

Nick sat down in a chair and grabbed Tyler's hand. He didn't plan on leaving for awhile now.

Note: short I know.


	10. Chapter 10

Fatherhood

Disclaimer: I own nothing(except Tyler). Everything else belongs to it's original owners.

It had been three days since Tyler's accident. Nick was sitting in Tyler's room. His parents and brother were getting some sleep at his place.

Cards, balloons, stuffed animals, and toys were all over the room. Everyone from the team, other people from the lab, and neighbors had been in to visit Tyler.

Tyler's doctor walked into the room.

"Mr. Stokes, there's a man that wants to talk to you" he said.

Nick stood up and followed the doctor into the hallway. He saw the man that had hit Tyler.

"I've been trying to find you for three days. I want to say that I'm really, truly sorry for hitting your son. He just appeared all the sudden and I tried to stop. I understand if you want to sue me or whatever" the man said.

"I forgive you" Nick said.

"I want you to know that I'll pay all the hospital expenses" the man said.

"No. I can't let you do that" Nick said.

"It's the least I can do. I won't take no for answer. It'll make me feel better knowing that I helped you out" the man said.

Nick could tell the man was dead set on paying.

"Thank you" he said.

He shook hands with the man and walked back into the room. He sat down in his chair and grabbed Tyler's hand.

He talked to Tyler for a few minutes. He wasn't sure if Tyler heard him, but the doctor said you never know.

The door opened and Warrick walked in.

"Hey bro" Nick said.

"Hey buddy" Warrick said.

He sat down in one of the other chairs.

"The rest of the team said they'd be in later. They're probably out buying Tyler more stuff" Warrick said.

Nick laughed.

"I have the most spoiled kid in Las Vegas. I'm the one that does most of the spoiling" he said.

"Nick, we all love Tyler" Warrick said.

"I know. I'm glad you all do" Nick said.

"I bought him race car track" Warrick said.

Nick laughed.

"Thanks bro" he said.

"Hey, he's my 'nephew' right?" Warrick asked.

"Yeah. But you guys really don't have to do all that" Nick said.

"Nick, if we want to buy him stuff we can" Warrick said.

"Ok" Nick said.

They were quiet for a little while. Then Nick spoke up.

"I can't stop thinking, what if he's mad at me for not helping him?" Nick asked.

"Nick, Tyler won't be mad at you. When he wakes up you're gonna be the first one he asks for. You need to stop blaming yourself" Warrick said.

"Warrick…it's my job to protect him. It's job to keep him out of harms way. I failed him. Now he's laying in hospital hurt and hooked up to machines and it's killing me inside" Nick said.

"Nick, it's not your fault. This could've happened even you had gotten to him in time. You both could've gotten hit. There was no way to prevent this from happening" Warrick said.

The door opened and the rest of the team walked in. They all had gifts.

"Hey guys. Thanks for coming by" Nick said.

Everyone put the gifts in the pile with the rest.

"How's he doing Nick?" Grissom asked.

Nick shrugged.

"Good I guess. The doctor said he was improving a little" he said.

"That's good. He'll be awake before we know it" Sara said

"I hope so. It's tough to go home. That's I avoid it as much as I can" Nick said.

The team stayed for about an hour, then they left, leaving Nick with Tyler.

Note: don't worry Tyler will be waking up soon.


	11. Chapter 11

Fatherhood

Disclaimer: I own nothing(except Tyler). Everything else belongs to it's original owners.

One week after Tyler's accident the doctor was going to bring him out of the coma. The whole team, Nick's parents, and Nick's brother were there. The doctor reduced the flow of medicine and took the tube out of Tyler's mouth.

His lung had healed enough for him to breathe on his own. The doctor was amazed. Tyler had healed faster than he expected.

"He should wake up anytime now. Have his nurse page me when he does wake up" the doctor said.

He left the room.

Everyone talked to Tyler. They encouraged him to open his eyes, told him that everything was ok, and that they were all there.

After half an hour Tyler's eyelids started to flutter. Nick stood next to Tyler and held his hand.

"Come on Ty. Daddy's here" he said.

Tyler slowly opened his eyes.

"Daddy?" he asked.

"Yeah buddy. It's me" Nick said with tears in his eyes.

"I love you daddy" Tyler said.

The tears in Nick's eyes tumbled down his cheeks when Tyler said those four words.

"I love you too buddy" he said.

"Why are you crying daddy?" Tyler asked.

"I'm just glad you're ok buddy" Nick said.

Greg went to tell the nurse to page the doctor.

Everyone else said hi to Tyler. Tyler seemed a little overwhelmed but happy to see everyone. He wouldn't let go of Nick's hand.

The doctor got to the room five minutes later.

"Ok, I'm going to run some tests on Tyler to see if there's any permanent damage" he said.

"Can I go?" Nick asked.

"Of course" the doctor said.

He had some nurses come in with a gurney. Tyler was transferred onto the gurney and pushed out of the room. Nick walked alongside the gurney, still holding onto Tyler's hand.

The doctor ran several tests on Tyler.

"Ok, there is some weakness in his legs and one of his arms. That can be solved with physical therapy. Other than that, he's just fine" the doctor said.

They took Tyler back to his room and settled him into his bed. They moved the bed so Tyler could sit up for awhile.

Tyler talked to everyone. Nick saw what the doctor meant by Tyler had weakness in his legs and in an arm. Tyler could barely move his left arm.

Everyone that wasn't biological family had to leave after awhile. Then it was just Nick, his parents, and his brother.

"What's that daddy?" Tyler asked pointing at the pile of stuff.

"That's stuff everyone bought you" Nick said.

"Cool!" Tyler said.

He eventually fell asleep. Nick talked to his parents and brother for awhile. Then they left to get some sleep.

Nick put his head on the mattress and fell asleep.

The next day wad Tyler's first day of physical therapy. The teacher was really nice to Tyler. She showed him different exercises. One included jumping on a small trampoline.

"This is fun daddy" Tyler said.

"This is going to help strengthen his legs" the teacher said.

"How long is it going to take?" Nick asked.

"It all depends on him. It could take days, weeks, or even months. You can see how gingerly he's landing on his legs. Plus he walks with a little bit of a stumble" the teacher said.

Nick nodded.

"To strengthen his arm I'll have him play games and he'll probably like it better if you play the games with him" the teacher said.

When the therapy session was over Nick took Tyler back to his room and settled him into the bed.

"I'm hungry daddy" Tyler said.

"I'll get you your dinner buddy" Nick said.

He went to the cafeteria to get Tyler's dinner.

Note: I know it took awhile. Sorry. Thanks for everyone who's reviewed so far.


	12. Chapter 12

Fatherhood

Disclaimer: I own nothing(except Tyler). Everything else belongs to it's original owners.

Later that night Nick went home to get proper sleep. Nick's parents were at the hospital. His brother had gone back home to his family.

Nick slept through the night. When he woke up in the morning he showered and got dressed. Then he packed a bag of Tyler's favorite toys. He didn't know how much longer Tyler would be in the hospital.

Then he headed out. He went to the hospital. When he got there he went to the Tyler's room.

"Hi daddy!" Tyler said

"Hi buddy. I brought you some toys to play with" Nick said.

"Thanks daddy" Tyler said as he took the bag from Nick. He opened it.

"Cool! You brought my trucks" he said.

"Did you eat breakfast yet buddy?" Nick asked.

"No cause it was oatmeal" Tyler said.

"You should've eaten a little bit buddy" Nick said.

"I didn't want to" Tyler said.

"His doctor was in earlier and he said that Tyler will have therapy today at one-thirty" Bill said.

"Ok" Nick said.

"When do I get to go home daddy?" Tyler asked.

"When the doctor says buddy" Nick said.

"How long is that gonna be?" Tyler asked.

"I don't know buddy" Nick said.

Tyler played with his toys most of the day. At one-thirty he had to go to physical therapy.

The teacher set up a game to help strengthen his bad arm and legs. She put toys of different weights on one side of the room and a big bucket on the other side of the room. He had to take one toy at a time to the other side of the room as fast as he could.

"Ok Tyler, are you ready?" the teacher asked.

Tyler nodded.

"Ok. Ready, set, go" the teacher said.

Tyler picked up a toy and ran to the other side of the room as fast as his legs would let him. He put it in the bucket and ran back. He did the same with all the other toys. When all the toys were in the bucket Tyler sat down against the wall.

"Good job Tyler. You're gonna do one more thing and then you'll be done. Ok?" the teacher asked.

Tyler nodded.

The teacher set up an obstacle course.

She had Tyler do the obstacle course. Tyler had fun and wanted to do it again so the teacher let him.

"Can we go back now daddy? I'm tired" Tyler said.

"Sure bud" Nick said.

He carried Tyler back to his room. He set him on the bed and pulled the blankets up. Tyler was asleep within minutes.

Nick sat down in a chair and turned the TV on. He kept the volume on low so it wouldn't wake Tyler.

He was glad that Tyler was healing fast. He was sure that it wouldn't be long before Tyler would be able to go home.

He didn't have any major problems. The physical therapy was going to help him big time and the bruises would heal over time.

Eventually Nick fell asleep in the chair.

Note: next chapter Tyler will be getting out of the hospital.


	13. Chapter 13

Fatherhood

Disclaimer: I own nothing(except Tyler). Everything else belongs to it's original owners.

After staying in the hospital for another week Tyler was allowed to go home. The physical therapy was really helping Tyler. His legs and bad arm were getting stronger. He still had to go.

Everyone was at Nick's house waiting for them to come home. Once Nick filled out all the discharge papers they were allowed to leave. They went out to the car and Nick buckled Tyler into his booster seat.

Then he got in and started driving home. He couldn't wait to get home. He'd gotten Tyler a dog. Tyler had asked him for one awhile back. It was a beagle puppy.

Nick decided to drop a few hints.

"Hey Ty, what's your favorite animal?" Nick asked.

"Tigers and foxes" Tyler said.

Nick knew Tyler liked foxes because of 'The Fox and the Hound'.

"Ok, what animal would you like to have as a pet?" Nick asked.

"A dog!" Tyler said excitedly.

"A dog?" Nick asked.

"Yeah. A dog like copper from 'The Fox and the Hound'. He's cool" Tyler said.

Nick smiled.

He soon pulled into the driveway. He got out of the car and opened the backdoor. He unbuckled Tyler from his booster seat and lifted him up. He carried him inside.

Everyone was waiting for them.

Nick set Tyler down. Everyone greeted Tyler and hugged him.

"Ok Ty, I have a surprise for you" Nick said once everyone had said hi to Tyler.

He grabbed Tyler's hand and led him down the hall to the playroom, where he was keeping the dog.

He opened the door to the playroom. Tyler's face lit up.

"A dog! Is it mine daddy?" Tyler asked.

"He sure is buddy" Nick said.

Tyler ran over to the dog.

"Be careful Ty. He's just a puppy" Nick said as he walked over.

He crouched down and scratched the puppy's head. Tyler did the same.

"What's his name?" he asked.

"You get to choose his name bud" Nick said.

"Copper" Tyler said without hesitation.

Nick smiled. He knew Tyler would choose that name.

It was actually a good hunting dog name so it fit a beagle.

Copper licked Tyler's face, causing Tyler to giggle.

"He's cool daddy" Tyler said.

"He sure is Ty" Nick said.

He let Tyler stay with Copper while he went back to the living room.

"Does he like the dog?" Jillian asked.

"Oh yeah. He's thrilled" Nick said.

"What'd he name him?" Warrick asked.

"Copper" Nick said.

"Just like you said" Warrick said.

"Yeah" Nick said.

"Ready to get things back to normal Nicky?" Catherine asked.

"Yeah. Tyler has a little bit farther to go in physical therapy but other than that things will go back to the way they were" Nick said.

Tyler ran into the room and ran at Nick. He wrapped his arms around Nick's legs.

"Thanks for getting me Copper daddy" he said.

"No problem buddy" Nick said.

He crouched down and pulled Tyler into his arms.

He kissed the top of his head.

"I'm hungry daddy" Tyler said.

"Ok buddy. I'll start making the food. You go play with Copper" Nick said.

Nick went to the kitchen and started making the food.

Note: sorry it took so long. Next chapter will be up soon. Copper is an actual name for a dog. It's usually a hunting dog name.


	14. Chapter 14

Fatherhood

Disclaimer: I own nothing(except Tyler). Everything else belongs to it's original owners.

Later on in the day after everyone left Nick and Tyler sat down to watch a movie. Jillian and Bill had caught their flight out. Copper curled up next to Tyler.

"He's little daddy" Tyler said.

"He's just a puppy buddy. He'll get bigger when he's older" Nick said.

"What kind of puppy is he daddy?" Tyler asked.

"A beagle" Nick said.

"Can he sleep in my room?"

"No buddy. He's not potty trained so he might go potty in your room" Nick said.

"But where's he gonna sleep daddy?" Tyler asked.

"I'm gonna put him in the kitchen. He has a bed in there" Nick said.

"But when he's potty trained can he sleep in my room?" Tyler asked.

"Of course buddy. It won't take long to get him potty trained" Nick said.

Just then Copper jumped off the couch and started sniffing the floor. Then he peed all over the carpet.

"Uh oh daddy. He went potty on the floor" Tyler said.

"I know buddy" Nick said as he got up.

He scooped Copper up and carried him to the backdoor.

"Bad dog" he said as he opened the backdoor.

He set Copper down.

"You go potty outside" he said.

He'd had a lot of dogs growing up so he knew how to take care of them.

After a few minutes Nick took Copper back inside. He put him in the kitchen and put the baby gate up. Then he went to the living room.

"Come on Ty. It's bath time" he said.

Tyler got up and ran over. They went upstairs to Tyler's bathroom.

Nick started the bath water while Tyler grabbed his bath toys and put them in the tub.

"Go get some pajamas bud" Nick said.

Tyler ran off. He came back a few minutes later with pajamas.

He undressed and got into the tub. Nick turned the water off.

He washed Tyler's hair.

"You need a hair cut bud" Nick said.

"No I don't daddy" Tyler said.

"Yeah you do buddy. Your hair is starting to hang over your eyes" Nick said.

"You get a haircut" Tyler said.

"Ok buddy. If you get a haircut, I'll get a haircut" Nick said.

"Ok" Tyler said.

Once the bath was finished, Tyler got out and dried off. He put his pajamas on.

"Ok buddy. Go pick a book. I'll be in soon" Nick said.

Tyler ran out of the bathroom.

Nick cleaned up the clothes and towel. He threw them in the hamper. Then he drained the tub. He went to Tyler's room. Tyler was sitting on his bed with a book.

Nick sat down and took the book. He read the book to Tyler.

"Ok buddy. Bedtime" he said when he finished.

"Can we read one more story?" Tyler asked.

"No buddy. You need some sleep" Nick said.

"Ok" Tyler said.

Nick tucked Tyler in. He kissed his forehead.

"Night buddy. I love you" Nick said.

"I love you too daddy" Tyler said.

Nick turned Tyler's nightlight on. Then he turned the main light off and walked out of the room.

He went to his bathroom and took a shower. Then he went downstairs to the kitchen to check on Copper. The puppy was sound asleep on his bed.

Nick went back upstairs to his room. He laid down in bed to go to sleep.

Note: next chapter will be longer


	15. Chapter 15

Fatherhood

Disclaimer: I own nothing(except Tyler). Everything else belongs to it's original owners.

The next day Nick took Tyler out to get a haircut. He was going to get one as well. After they got their hair cut they went to the pet store to look at toys for Copper.

Nick had gotten a couple toys when he adopted Copper. But focused on food and water dishes, food, and a bed. Plus he wanted Tyler to pick some stuff out.

Tyler picked out a Frisbee, a couple squeaker toys, a stuffed animal, a pull rope, and a bone. Then he picked out a blue collar. Nick had a tag made with his cell phone number, the address, and Copper's name.

"What's that for daddy?" Tyler asked.

"In case Copper ever gets lost" Nick said.

After everything was paid for Nick took everything out to the Tahoe.

"Now where are we going daddy?" Tyler asked as Nick buckled him into his booster seat.

"We're gonna go home for a little bit buddy. You have therapy at two-thirty" Nick said.

"I still have to go to that?" Tyler asked.

"Yeah buddy. It's gonna help your legs get better" Nick said.

He shut the door and got into the driver's seat. He started driving.

"But daddy, I don't wanna go back to the hospital" Tyler said.

Nick didn't blame Tyler. The hospital wasn't his favorite place in the world either.

"It's just for awhile longer buddy. I promise" Nick said.

"Ok" Tyler said.

When they got home Tyler played with Copper for awhile. When Nick noticed that Copper was starting to sniff around the living room he took him outside.

When Copper finished his business Nick praised him for going outside. Then he went back inside and Copper curled up on the couch.

"Ok buddy, leave him alone for now. Do you want lunch?" Nick asked.

"Yeah" Tyler said.

"What do you want?" Nick asked.

"I don't know" Tyler said.

"How about grilled cheese with tomato and a fruit cup?" Nick asked.

"Ok" Tyler said.

Nick went to make Tyler's lunch. When it was ready he called Tyler to the table. Tyler sat down to eat.

"When do you go back to work daddy?" Tyler asked.

"When you're all better buddy" Nick said.

"When you do go back, can I go to the lab with you?" Tyler asked.

"We'll see bud" Nick said.

When Tyler finished eating Nick cleaned the kitchen up.

When he went to the living room Tyler was watching TV.

"Wanna watch a movie buddy?" Nick asked.

"Yeah" Tyler said.

He picked a movie for them to watch. They watched the movie until they had to leave to head to the hospital for therapy.

But Tyler was uncooperative.

"I don't wanna go daddy. Please don't make me go" Tyler begged.

"Tyler, I'm sorry but you have to go" Nick said.

"I don't wanna daddy" Tyler said.

"Buddy, this is gonna help your legs get better. You know how sometimes your legs start to hurt?" Nick asked.

"Yeah" Tyler said tearfully.

"Well this will make it better. Daddy's just trying to do what's best for you" Nick said.

"But I don't wanna go back to the hospital" Tyler said.

"Please Tyler, let's just go" Nick said.

"No" Tyler cried.

Nick sighed. This was breaking his heart. He wanted Tyler to get better but at the same time he didn't want to force Tyler to do something he really didn't want to do.

He knew that it was because Tyler didn't want to go back to the hospital.

"Tyler, let's just go one more day ok?" Nick asked.

"No. I don't wanna go!" Tyler yelled.

He ran up the stairs. Nick ran after him. Tyler ran into the his bathroom and shut the door. Then he locked it.

"Come on Ty. Please" Nick said.

"No daddy" Tyler said.

"Ty, daddy just want you to get better" Nick said.

"I'm not going" Tyler said.

Nick sighed. He couldn't force Tyler to do this. He just couldn't.

He called the therapy teacher and explained the situation to her. She said it was normal and to just leave Tyler alone for awhile.

Nick hung up and went downstairs to the living room. He sat down on the couch.

He watched TV for awhile. It had been almost a half hour when he heard the bathroom door open upstairs.

He waited to see if Tyler would come downstairs.

Sure enough Tyler walked into the room a few minutes later. He climbed onto Nick's lap and buried his face into Nick's shirt. Nick rubbed Tyler's back.

"Sorry daddy" Tyler said after a few minutes.

"It's ok buddy" Nick said.

"I don't wanna go back to the hospital. Please don't make me go" Tyler said.

"Ok buddy, you don't have to anymore. I promise" Nick said.

Tyler wasn't doing this to get out of going to therapy. He was really, truly, scared of going to the hospital. It could be an intimidating place to a four year old.

Nick cried into Nick's shirt for awhile before drifting off to sleep. Nick carefully laid back on the couch and fell asleep himself.


	16. Chapter 16

Fatherhood

Disclaimer: I own nothing(except Tyler). Everything else belongs to it's original owners.

Nick woke up when he felt someone tapping his face. He opened his eyes and saw Tyler.

"Hi buddy" he said.

"Hi daddy. I'm hungry. Can you make dinner?" Tyler asked.

"Sure bud" Nick said.

"Can we have BLT's?" Tyler asked.

"Sure we can buddy" Nick said.

"I'm gonna help" Tyler said.

"Ok" Nick said.

They went to the kitchen. Nick started making the BLT's.

"What do you want on the side buddy?" Nick asked.

"Um French Fries" Tyler said.

"Ok what else. You need a vegetable or a fruit" Nick said.

"Grapes. Can I have a pickle too?" Tyler asked.

"Sure bud" Nick said.

He liked giving Tyler choices. He'd always had choices as a kid. Tyler was good with choosing healthy foods.

When dinner was ready they sat down to eat.

"Can I have apple juice daddy?" Tyler asked.

"Sure Ty" Nick said.

He got Tyler's juice and sat back down.

Copper ran in and plopped down under the table.

"What's he doing daddy?" Tyler asked.

"Hoping to get some food" Nick said.

"Is he hungry?" Tyler asked.

"If he is he has food in his dish" Nick said.

"When do I go back to school daddy?" Tyler asked.

"When you get better buddy" Nick said.

"Remember, you promised that I don't have to go to therapy anymore" Tyler said.

"I know buddy, I know. I'm gonna keep my promise" Nick said.

"Thanks daddy" Tyler said.

When they finished eating Nick took Tyler to the park.

Note: sorry it's so short. I'm about to be away for a couple days so the next chapter will be up Monday.


	17. Chapter 17

Fatherhood

Disclaimer: I own nothing(except Tyler). Everything else belongs to it's original owners.

After Tyler went to bed that night Nick researched things Tyler could do to strengthen his legs. He found out there was a soccer league for four year olds. Soccer would definitely help.

Nick was sure Tyler would love to play soccer.

After a little bit more research he went to bed.

He was woken up by Tyler at nine-thirty.

"Hi daddy! Can I have cereal?" Tyler asked.

"How about we have pancakes, bacon, and eggs instead?" Nick asked.

"Yeah!" Tyler yelled.

They both went downstairs to the kitchen.

"Uh oh daddy, Copper went potty on the floor" Tyler said.

"I see buddy. I'm gonna let him outside and I'll clean it up" Nick said.

He scooped Copper up and carried him to the back door. He opened it and set Copper in the grass. Copper sniffed around for ten minutes before he finally went.

Nick took him back inside. Then he cleaned up the kitchen and started making breakfast. Tyler played with Copper in the living room.

Nick was glad Tyler was in a better mood. He hated it when Tyler was upset.

When breakfast was ready Nick and Tyler sat down to eat.

"So buddy, what would you think of playing soccer?" Nick asked.

"Like the soccer they play on TV?" Tyler asked.

"Yeah" Nick said.

"That would be cool!" Tyler said.

"Well I found a soccer league you can play in" Nick said.

"I wanna play!" Tyler said excitedly.

Nick laughed at Tyler's excitement.

"Ok bud. I'll sign you up" Nick said.

"Thanks daddy!" Tyler said.

He got up from his chair and threw his arms around Nick's neck.

Nick returned the hug. He kissed the side of Tyler's head.

"Love you daddy" Tyler said.

"I love you too buddy" Nick said.

When they finished breakfast Nick cleaned the kitchen. Tyler played in the living room. When Nick finished cleaning he went to the living room.

"Get ready buddy" he said.

"Where are we going?" Tyler asked.

"To sign you up for soccer" Nick said.

Tyler put his shoes on.

"Let's go daddy" he said as he pulled on Nick's hand.

"Hold on bud. Let me get my shoes on" Nick said.

Tyler waited impatiently for Nick to put his shoes on.

They went out to the Tahoe. Nick buckled Tyler into his booster seat. Then he got in drove to the local recreation center so he could sign Tyler up for soccer.

When they got to the recreation center they went inside.

Nick went up to the table that said 'Soccer sign-up's'.

"How can I help you?" the lady asked.

"I'd like to sign my son up for soccer" Nick said.

"Ok, you need to fill out this paperwork and return it" the lady said as she handed Nick a packet.

Nick sat down to fill it out. Tyler sat next to him. It took a half hour to fill everything out. Nick gave the lady the packet.

"Ok. Thank you sir. The first practice will be next week. He'll need cleats and shin guards" the lady said.

"Yes ma'am. Thank you" Nick said.

He and Tyler went to the Tahoe. They headed to the sporting goods store first.

Nick asked where the soccer stuff was. A worker pointed told them where to go. Nick looked for Tyler's size shoe. He found the right size and had Tyler put them on just to be sure. He found shin guards next. He also got a soccer ball and a small soccer goal. Then they left the store.

"I can't wait to start playing" Tyler said.

"You're gonna have fun buddy" Nick said.

"Thanks for letting me play daddy" Tyler said.

"You're welcome buddy" Nick said.

"Can play with the soccer ball when we get home?" Tyler asked.

"We sure can bud" Nick said.

True to his word, Nick set up the soccer goal in the backyard and he Tyler played with the soccer ball for awhile.

Note: there's the next chapter. Sorry it took so long.


	18. Chapter 18

Fatherhood

Disclaimer: I own nothing(except Tyler). Everything else belongs to it's original owners.

One week later it was Tyler's first soccer practice. He was so excited about it. He and Nick called everyone on the team and asked them to come to the practice so everyone was coming.

Nick and Tyler were already at the soccer field. They waited a few minutes before a guy showed up. He had a bag of soccer balls and a whistle around his neck.

Nick knew this was the coach.

"You here for soccer?" the guy asked.

"Yes sir. I'm Nick Stokes and this is my son Tyler" Nick said.

"I'm coach Aldan. You ready to play soccer Tyler?" the coach asked.

"Yep!" Tyler said.

"Hey, why don't you go hang out with my son over there?" coach Aldan asked.

Tyler looked up at Nick.

"Go ahead bud. I'll be right here" Nick said.

Tyler ran off.

"He seems ready" coach Aldan said.

"Oh yeah. Soccer is all he's talked about since I signed him up" Nick said.

"My son too" coach Aldan said.

"So listen, Tyler was hit by car and it messed up his legs. I hoped this would strengthen his legs while he had fun at the same time. So if he says his legs hurt or he's not running as fast as the other kids, that's why" Nick said.

"That's all right. Soccer will definitely help strengthen his legs" coach Aldan said.

"He's wanted to play sports and he's too young for t-ball and football" Nick said.

"I try to make this as fun as I can. This is a league for four year olds. It's supposed to teach them teamwork and help them make friends. If they win in the games we play, cool. If they don't win in the games, that's cool too. It's just for fun. There's coaches in this league who take it seriously and don't let the kids have fun because they're so serious about winning" coach Aldan said.

"Right. They're four and just need to have fun" Nick said.

Over the next few minutes kids started showing up.

Coach Aldan started practice. Everyone from the team showed up like they said they would.

"Where's Tyler?" Warrick asked.

"He's got the blue shirt on" Nick said.

"What're they doing?" Greg asked.

"Just getting to know each other" Nick said.

"He seemed really excited about it over the phone" Catherine said.

"Yeah. He couldn't wait to play soccer" Nick said.

"How's he been doing?" Grissom asked.

"Pretty good. His legs still bother him quite a bit" Nick said.

"What about therapy?" Catherine asked.

"He's not going to therapy anymore" Nick asked.

"Really?" Grissom asked.

"Yeah. He had a major fit the day he was supposed to go and he was so scared. I couldn't make him go" Nick said.

"Poor kid" Warrick said.

"That's part of the reason I signed him up for soccer. That and so he could have some fun" Nick said.

"He'll love soccer Nick" Catherine said.

"I think he already does" Nick said.

"He's gonna love all sports" Warrick said.

When the soccer practice ended Tyler ran over to the bleachers.

"Hey Tyler. It looks like you were having fun out there" Warrick said.

"It is fun uncle Warrick" Tyler said.

The coach came over and told all the parents when the next practice would be.

"So about we all meet up for dinner? My treat" Catherine said.

Everyone agreed. They all agreed on a place and headed out.

"Daddy, can I take my cleats off?" Tyler asked.

"I don't know if I have an extra pair of shoes in here buddy. I'll check when we get to the restraunt" Nick said.

When they got to the restraunt Nick checked the back of the Tahoe for extra shoes for Tyler. He ended up finding a pair of Tyler's flip flops.

"Put these on bud" he said.

Tyler took cleats off and put the flip flops on. Then they headed inside.

Note: there's the eighteenth chapter. I'm thinking about doing the episode 'Grave Danger'. Don't really know yet


	19. Chapter 19

Fatherhood

Disclaimer: I own nothing(except Tyler). Everything else belongs to it's original owners.

Nick was tucking Tyler into bed.

"I like soccer daddy. It's fun" Tyler said.

"I'm glad you like soccer so much buddy" Nick said.

"I can't wait to play in a game" Tyler said.

Nick smiled. He kissed Tyler's forehead.

"Night buddy" Nick said.

"Night daddy" Tyler said.

Nick turned the light off and started to walk out of the room.

"Daddy" Tyler said.

"Yeah bud?" Nick asked.

"I love you" Tyler said.

"I love you too Tyler" Nick said.

He walked out of the room. He went downstairs to the kitchen. He scooped Copper up and carried him out to the backyard. He let him to his business and took him back to the kitchen.

He went back upstairs to his room. He went to bed himself.

Nick woke up when he heard Tyler crying. He got up and went to Tyler's room. He turned the light on.

"Hey buddy, what's wrong?" he asked as he sat down on the bed.

"I had a bad dream" Tyler said.

Nick lifted Tyler on his lap.

"Wanna tell me what it was about?" he asked.

"There was a bad guy chasing me and you didn't help me. You just sat there and watched" Tyler said.

"Hey buddy, you know I'd always help you. No matter what" Nick said.

Tyler nodded.

"Can I sleep in your room?" he asked.

"Sure" Nick said.

He grabbed Tyler's favorite bear, that he couldn't sleep without. He stood up and walked out of the room. He went to his room and set Tyler on the bed. He covered Tyler with the comforter and gave him his bear.

Then he went to the other side of the bed. He laid down himself.

"Night daddy" Tyler said.

"Night bud" Nick said.

They both fell asleep.

Note: I know it's really short and I'm really sorry about that. Things are really busy for me lately. I promise that on Saturday I'll upload a really long chapter. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far.


	20. Chapter 20

Fatherhood

Disclaimer: I own nothing(except Tyler). Everything else belongs to it's original owners.

Nick woke up when he heard Copper barking. He got out of bed and went downstairs to the kitchen. He scooped Copper up and carried him outside to the backyard.

It took Copper awhile to find a place to go, but he finally went. Nick took him back inside. He went to the kitchen and started to make breakfast. He tried to think of a place to take Tyler for a fun day.

He knew there was an amusement park somewhere. Tyler would have a lot of fun there. Nick got his laptop and did some research. He found an amusement park. It was a half hour drive to get there. But it was worth it for Tyler.

Tyler walked into the kitchen.

"Morning buddy" Nick said.

"Morning daddy. What's for breakfast?" Tyler asked

"Waffles" Nick said.

"Ok" Tyler said.

When breakfast was ready they sat down to eat.

"Ok buddy, after breakfast brush your teeth and get dressed" Nick said.

"Why?" Tyler said.

"We're gonna go somewhere" Nick said.

"Where daddy?" Tyler said.

"I can't tell you bud" Nick said.

"It's a surprise?" Tyler asked.

"Yeah" Nick said.

Tyler finished eating quickly. Then he went upstairs to get ready to go. He came back down five minutes later.

"I'm ready daddy" he said.

"Ok Ty, you play with Copper while I go get ready" Nick said.

He went upstairs and got ready to go. He got the camera. Then he went back downstairs.

"Get your shoes on Tyler" Nick said.

Tyler ran to the front door. Nick found the camera bag and put the camera in it.

"Daddy! I need you to tie my shoes!" Tyler yelled.

"I'm coming Ty" Nick said.

He went to the front door.

"Where're your Velcro shoes bud?" he asked as he tied Tyler's shoes.

"I don't know" Tyler said.

Nick put his shoes on.

"Ready buddy?" Nick asked.

"Yeah" Tyler said.

Nick grabbed the Tahoe keys and went out to the Tahoe. He buckled Tyler into his booster seat and then he got in. He started driving.

Tyler played in the backseat. He had a bunch of legos.

"Daddy look what I built!" he said.

"I can't look right now buddy. I have to watch the road" Nick said.

"Why?" Tyler asked.

"If I'm not watching the road we could get into an accident" Nick said.

Plus he was driving in an unfamiliar part of town and didn't want to take a wrong turn and get lost.

"Daddy, are we almost there?" Tyler asked.

"Yeah buddy" Nick said.

"Where're we going?" Tyler asked.

"You'll see when we get there" Nick said.

They got there ten minutes later.

"Is this the place we saw on TV?" Tyler asked.

"Yeah" Nick said.

"Cool!" Tyler said.

Nick got Tyler from the backseat.

"Ok, you need to stay with me. Don't wander off. Ok?" Nick asked.

"Ok daddy" Tyler said.

They went to the ticket booth. Nick paid for the tickets and they went inside.

"What do you wanna do first Ty?" Nick asked.

"Can we play games first?" Tyler asked.

"How about we wait to play games. That if you win prizes you don't have to carry them around" Nick said.

"Ok" Tyler said.

Nick looked at a map and found some of the kid rides. He went to the right area.

"Can I ride that daddy?" Tyler asked.

It was a roller coaster for little kids.

"Let's make sure you're tall enough first bud" Nick said.

Tyler stood against the height measure. Tyler was tall enough to ride it. So he got on the ride

Nick stood at the exit to wait for him.

"That was fun daddy. Can you go on a ride with me?" Tyler asked.

"Sure bud. Let's find a ride" Nick said.

They found a ride both of them could go on. Tyler loved the ride and wanted to go on it again and again. Nick was finally able to pull him away from the ride.

They rode rides all morning and almost all afternoon. They stopped to eat lunch.

"Can we do the bumper cars daddy?" Tyler asked.

"After we finish eating bud" Nick said.

"This is fun daddy. Thanks for bringing me" Tyler said.

"Your welcome buddy" Nick said.

When they finished eating they went to the bumper cars. Nick drove the car while Tyler sat next to him.

Tyler laughed the whole time. Nick was glad to see Tyler so happy.

"Ok bud, let's go play some games" Nick said.

The first game Tyler picked was a dart throwing game.

"Do you wanna throw it or do you want me too?" Nick asked.

"I can do it!" Tyler said.

"Ok, you gotta hit the balloons" Nick said.

Tyler hit two of the balloons. The lady at the booth game him a choice between a stuffed dog or snake. Tyler choose the snake.

"This is cool daddy" Tyler said.

"It sure is bud. What game is next?" Nick asked.

"That one" Tyler said pointing at the milk jug game.

"Ok bud" Nick said.

Tyler tried to knock the milk jugs over but couldn't do it.

"Can you do it daddy?" Tyler asked.

"Sure bud" Nick said.

He grabbed the second baseball and threw it at the milk jugs. He knocked them all over.

"You get to choose one of the big stuffed animals" the man said.

"Can I get the big tiger daddy?" Tyler asked.

"Sure Ty" Nick said.

The man gave Nick the big tiger. Nick dreaded having to drag the thing around the rest of the day. But it was for Tyler so he didn't mind that much.

They played a couple more games. Then Nick let Tyler pick some souvenirs from a shop.

Tyler choose a water bottle, a sweatshirt that had the theme parks name on it, and a dart gun with sticky darts.

Nick looked at his watch at they walked to the car. It was four-thirty. Which meant he had time to make dinner when they got home.

Nick got Tyler settled in the backseat. Then he got in and started driving.

While he was driving a dart flew past his head. He swerved a little bit but regained control.

"Tyler! Don't play with that in the car. You almost made me crash" he said.

"Sorry daddy" Tyler said on the verge of tears.

He didn't like it when Nick was mad at him.

When they got home Nick got Tyler from the backseat.

"Sorry I made you mad daddy" Tyler said.

"It's ok bud. I forgive you. You almost made me crash, that's all" Nick said.

They headed inside.

Note: there it is. It's longer than most chapters


	21. Chapter 21

Fatherhood

Disclaimer: I own nothing(except Tyler). Everything else belongs to it's original owners.

It was two weeks later. It was the day of Tyler's first soccer game. The whole team was coming to watch Tyler play. Jillian and Bill asked Nick to video tape it. Nick promised he would.

Things were starting to go back to normal. Tyler was getting stronger and was doing a lot better. Nick was back at work. He took Tyler with him to work every night. He would stay in the DNA lab with Wendy, the new DNA tech. Greg was in the field now.

They were all at the soccer field. Tyler was with the rest of his soccer team. Nick was getting the video camera ready.

"How excited is he Nick?" Warrick asked.

"He was up when I got home from work and he wouldn't let me go bed. He was dressed in his soccer uniform and wanted to leave for the field at eight" Nick said.

"Wow. He's gonna be a little sports fanatic" Warrick said.

"Yeah" Nick said.

When the game started, Nick started recording.

Tyler's team name was the sharks. All the kids last names were on their jersey's.

"Come on Sharks!" Nick said.

Tyler got the ball and kicked it into the goal. The goalie missed it.

"Good job Ty!" Nick said.

"Did you get that on video?" Greg asked.

"Yeah" Nick said.

"He's pretty fast" Sara said as the kids ran down the field.

"Yeah. It didn't take long for his legs to heal" Nick said.

"I think he's gonna really take to soccer" Grissom said.

"I know. I put him in this so he could have some fun and strengthen his legs" Nick said.

The game soon ended. Tyler's team had won. Tyler ran over to Nick and the team.

"Did you see me daddy?" he asked.

"Yeah buddy. I was sitting right here" Nick said.

"You did awesome out there buddy" Warrick said.

"Thanks uncle Warrick" Tyler said.

"That was awesome goal" Greg said.

"Thanks uncle Greg" Tyler said.

"I think a celebratory dinner is in order" Grissom said.

They all headed out to lunch

Note: sorry it's so short. Writer's block strikes again


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: I own nothing except Tyler

After returning from dinner that night Nick and Tyler watched a movie.

"Did you have fun today Ty?" Nick asked.

"Yeah. Soccer is really fun and I scored a goal!" Tyler said.

"I know. That was cool" Nick said.

"Plus the team won! I hope we always win" Tyler said.

"Now hold on buddy. Winning isn't everything. I know winning is fun and all but the main thing is to have fun" Nick said.

"Ok daddy. I want to go to bed. I'm tired" Tyler said.

"I am too" Nick said.

Nick turned the movie off and they went upstairs. He gave Tyler a quick bath and got him ready for bed.

"Can I sleep in your room daddy?" Tyler asked.

"Sure Ty" Nick said.

Tyler got his stuff and laid down on Nick's bed. Nick let him watch TV while he took a shower and got ready for bed himself.

"Daddy, can I ask a question?" Tyler asked.

"Sure Ty" Nick said.

"How come when you smile a lot when you're around Aunt Catherine?" Tyler asked.

"Well Ty, I like Aunt Catherine. So I get nervous around her" Nick said.

"You like her? Like a friend?" Tyler asked.

Nick laughed. He didn't know how to explain this to Tyler. He liked Catherine a lot. But there was no way he could tell Catherine. He didn't want to spoil their friendship.

"I like her a little more than a friend Ty. It's hard to explain. It's adult stuff" Nick said.

"Being an adult sounds hard. I don't ever want to be an adult. I'm goanna stay a kid forever" Tyler said.

Nick laughed.

"Ok Tyler. Go to sleep" he said.

Tyler was soon asleep and Nick wasn't far behind him.

Note: I know its been a long time since I last updated. I got a lot going on with graduation coming up. I know, crummy chapter. I'm in school so I can't do much.


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: I own nothing except Tyler.

The next night was Nick's first night back at work. He took Tyler with him. He could sit in the lab with Wendy while Nick was at a crime scene. They arrived at the lab and went to the break room. Warrick was in there

"Hey bro" Nick said.

"Hey Nick, hey Tyler" Warrick said.

Nick set Tyler in a chair and got him a juice box.

"You catch the game last night?" Warrick asked.

"No, Tyler and I watched a movie last night" Nick said.

"Let's just say it wasn't pretty…for your team" Warrick said.

"Minor setback" Nick said with a wave of his hand.

"Yeah right" Warrick said.

Nick laughed and got himself a cup of coffee.

"Oh, Grissom wants to see you in his office by the way" Warrick said.

"Alright. Watch Tyler for me?" Nick asked.

"Yeah" Warrick said.

Nick walked out of the room.

"Uncle Warrick, what does it mean to like someone more than a friend?" Tyler asked.

"Well buddy, it means just what it says. I don't really know how to explain it" Warrick said.

"My daddy said he likes Aunt Catherine more than a friend" Tyler said.

"Really?" Warrick asked.

"Yeah. But then he said it's hard to understand" Tyler said.

"Well, I'm gonna let you in on a little secret. I think Aunt Catherine likes your daddy more than a friend" Warrick said.

"Really? Then maybe her and my daddy can get married and I'd have a mommy!" Tyler said.

Warrick laughed. He knew Nick and Catherine liked each other. Everyone seemed to know except those two. They were blind to their love for each other.

"Well, I'll tell you what. You and I will come up with a plan to get your daddy and Aunt Catherine together. We'll see what happens" Warrick said.

"Ok, what're we gonna do?" Tyler asked.

Warrick saw Catherine coming down the hall.

"We'll go over it later" he said.

Shift started and Nick took Tyler to Wendy's lab.

"I'll be back later Ty. Be good for Wendy" Nick said.

"I will daddy. I love you" Tyler said.

"I love you too Tyler" Nick said.

He kissed his forehead and left.

Note: I know it's short, they'll get longer.


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: I own nothing except Tyler.

It was the end of shift. Tyler was in the break room with Nick.

"Can we go to breakfast daddy?" Tyler asked.

"Sure we can buddy" Nick said.

Just then, Catherine walked in. An idea popped into Tyler's head.

"Can Aunt Catherine go with us?" he asked.

"If she wants to. You wanna go to breakfast with me and Tyler Cath?" Nick asked.

"I'd love to. Lindsay is at a friend's house anyways" Nick said.

Tyler smiled. He had a great idea.

"Ok, let's get going" Nick said.

"Wait daddy. I wanna say bye to uncle Warrick" Tyler said.

"He's in the locker room I think" Catherine said.

"Ok. I'm gonna go say bye. You guys stay here!" Tyler said.

Tyler ran out the door. Nick and Catherine laughed.

"He's so funny" Catherine said.

"Yeah. Life is never dull with him around" Nick said.

"You're a great dad Nick. Tyler adores you" Catherine said.

"Thanks Cath" Nick said.

Meanwhile, Tyler had found Warrick in the locker room.

"Uncle Warrick guess what?" he asked.

"What buddy?" Warrick asked.

"Aunt Catherine is going to breakfast with me and daddy" Tyler said.

"That's cool Tyler" Warrick said.

"What do I do now?" Tyler asked.

"Well, your daddy and Aunt Catherine need to be alone" Warrick said.

"How are they gonna do that if I'm there?" Tyler said.

"Ok, you go with your daddy. I'll be at the diner soon. Ok?" Warrick asked.

"Ok" Tyler said.

"You ready Tyler?" Nick asked from the doorway.

"Yeah. Let's go!" Tyler said.

He ran over to Nick and Nick lifted him up. They headed out to the car. Nick buckled Tyler into his booster seat and got in. He drove to the diner. Catherine was already there.

They sat down at a table. They ordered their stuff.

Tyler was coloring on his child's menu while Nick and Catherine talked. They just kept smiling at each other. Tyler didn't get it. He saw Warrick walk in.

"Look it's uncle Warrick!" Tyler said.

Warrick walked over to the table.

"Hey guys. I didn't know you were coming here" he said.

"It was Tyler's idea" Nick said.

"Hey Ty, did you see that pinball machine over there?" Warrick asked.

"No" Tyler said.

"If it's ok with your daddy I can show you hot to play it" Warrick said.

"Can he daddy?" Tyler asked.

"Only until your food comes" Nick said.

"Thanks daddy" Tyler said.

He got up and ran off with Warrick right behind him.

"He really gets along with Warrick" Catherine said.

"Yeah. I'm glad all of you care about Tyler" Nick said.

"He's part of the family Nick" Catherine said.

"I know. I appreciate all the support you two have given Tyler in his healing and with his soccer" Nick said.

"Like I said before Nick. He's part of our family" Catherine said.

Nick smiled at her and she smiled back. It was then Nick decided to confess his feelings.

"Cath, I have to tell you something and I really hope this doesn't affect our friendship" Nick said.

"Ok" Catherine said.

"I love you Catherine. Ever since I first started at the lab I've wanted to be with you but I didn't think I had a chance" Nick said.

Catherine smiled at Nick.

"What?" Nick asked.

"I feel the same way Nick. I just didn't say anything because I was afraid that you wouldn't feel the same way because you're younger than me and I had a daughter" Catherine said.

She reached across the table and grabbed his hand.

"So what do you say? Do you want to give us a try?" Nick asked.

"I'd love that" Catherine said.

Warrick choose that moment to come back.

"What is going on here?" he asked.

"Whatever you two planned worked. Catherine and I are going to give us a try" Nick said.

"We didn't plan anything. Did we Tyler?" Warrick asked.

"Nope" Tyler said.

"Yeah right" Nick said with a laugh.

The food came and they all started eating.

Note: so Nick and Catherine are together. Will it last? How will Tyler deal with Nick dating?


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: I own nothing except Tyler

Nick and Catherine had been dating about a month already. They loved each other. Lindsay seemed ok with Catherine dating Nick. Tyler was ok too. He was proud of the fact that he helped Nick and Catherine get together.

Work had been difficult lately. Conrad Ecklie had split the shifts up. So now Catherine was supervisor of swing shift, Nick was with her and Warrick. Grissom ran the Graveyard shift with Greg and Sara.

Nick was on his way to the preschool to pick Tyler up. He'd started going back to school two weeks earlier. Nick had spent the morning with Catherine. They'd gone to breakfast and shopped a little bit.

Nick pulled into the school parking lot and went inside. He went to Tyler's classroom. Tyler ran up to him.

"Hi daddy! Guess what we did?" Tyler asked.

"What?" Nick asked.

"We finger painted" Tyler said showing Nick his paint covered hands.

"I guess you did" Nick said with a laugh.

"I painted two pictures. But I can't have them yet cause they have to dry" Tyler said.

Ms. Clove walked over.

"Sorry. I lost track of time or I would've had them cleaned up. Tyler go wash your hands at the sink" she said.

Tyler ran off.

"Tyler is very smart" Ms. Clove said.

"Thank you" Nick said.

"He loves science. I show them different little science experiments and he is fascinated" Ms. Clove said.

"He takes after me" Nick said with a laugh.

"Oh yes. He always talks about his daddy the scientist" Ms. Clove said.

Tyler ran back over and Nick lifted him up.

"Ready bud?" he asked.

"Yeah. Bye Ms. Clove" Tyler said.

"Bye Tyler. Bye Mr. Stokes" Ms. Clove said.

Nick walked out and headed out to the parking lot. He went to his car and buckled Tyler into his booster seat. Then he got in and stared driving. When they got home they headed inside.

"What do you want for lunch Ty?" Nick asked.

"Ravioli's" Tyler said.

Nick went to the kitchen and made Tyler's lunch.

"It's ready Tyler" he called out.

Tyler ran in and climbed into his chair.

"Do you have to work today daddy?" he asked.

"Yeah" Nick said.

"Can I go?" Tyler asked.

"No. You have school tomorrow" Nick said.

"Please daddy" he begged.

"No. You can come to work with me over the weekend buddy" Nick said.

"Ok" Tyler said.

"Are you gonna eat daddy?" Tyler asked.

"I had a big breakfast with Aunt Catherine buddy" Nick said.

"Can we play outside?" Tyler asked.

"It's supposed to storm today Ty. We'll play inside until it's time to go" Nick said.

"Ok" Tyler said.

When he finished eating he and Tyler picked a board game to play.

Note: In the next chapter I will do Grave Danger.


	26. Chapter 26

Disclaimer: Nothing the story belongs to me except Tyler. Everything else belongs to its original owners

Note: so I've come to the decision that I can't write the chapter of Grave Danger like I wanted to. So I just summarized it the best I could. It never would've worked out to do the whole episode.

At work the work Nick had been kidnapped and buried alive in a Plexiglas coffin. The team raced to find him. It took twenty-four hours but they found him barely alive and covered in ant bites. He'd been rushed to the hospital.

That's where they were now. They were waiting to hear about him. Jillian and Bill arrived with Tyler.

"Catherine, where's daddy?" Tyler asked.

"He's with the doctor sweetie" Catherine said.

"Is he ok?" Tyler asked.

"He's hurt Tyler. The doctor is trying to make him better" Catherine said.

"Let's go to the cafeteria Tyler" Bill said.

"But I want my daddy" Tyler said as Bill lifted him up and walked away.

"He kept asking us if he'd ever get to see Nick again. I didn't know what to tell him" Jillian said.

"He asked about Tyler in the ambulance. So he was coherent" Catherine said.

After a while they saw a doctor walking towards them.

"Nicholas Stokes family?" he asked.

They all nodded.

"Nick received several ant bites all over his body. He went into anaphylaxis and we had to incubate him. He is now responding well to his treatment and I am confident that he will be fine physically. Now mentally may be another story. I'm going to get a psychologist for him when he wakes up. We are going to keep him incubated until tomorrow. It's best to keep the child out until after he's off the ventilator" the doctor said.

He led them to Nick's room.

"One at a time with exception of his parents" he said.

He walked away. Jillian and Bill went in first. Tyler tried following them in but Warrick stopped him.

"I want my daddy!" Tyler cried as Warrick walked off with him.

Warrick sat down in the waiting room with Tyler.

"Please uncle Warrick. I want my daddy" Tyler said.

"Tyler, you can see your daddy tomorrow" Warrick said.

"But I want to see him now" Tyler cried.

"I know buddy. But the doctor said you can't go in yet" Warrick said.

"It's not fair" Tyler said.

"I know" Warrick said.

"I missed him all day and I thought I wasn't gonna see him ever again. I just want to see him" Tyler said.

"You can see him tomorrow" Warrick said.

"Ok" Tyler said.

They sat out there awhile longer and Catherine finally came out.

"You can go in and see him. I'm taking Tyler home with me" she said.

"Ok. Tyler, you're gonna go with Catherine" Warrick said.

Tyler got up and grabbed Catherine's hand. They walked out of the hospital. Catherine headed to her house. When they got there Catherine settled Tyler on the couch.

"Is my daddy ok?" Tyler asked.

"He's sleeping right now Tyler. He'll be awake tomorrow" Catherine said.

"I was scared" Tyler said.

"I was too" Catherine said.

Tyler eventually fell asleep and Catherine went to her room. She tried to sleep but she couldn't. The video feed of Nick kept playing in her head. It had been a scary night. They'd almost lost Nick.

'He's ok now. You found him and he's safe' she told herself.

She ended up getting some sleep. She woke up around ten. She got up and went to the kitchen and saw Tyler and Lindsay sitting at the table.

"Hi mom" Lindsay said.

"Hi Lindsay. How long have you been up?" Catherine asked.

"An hour. Tyler was hungry so I got him cereal" Lindsay said.

"Thank you" Catherine said.

She started coffee.

"When can we go see my daddy?" Tyler asked.

"Later Tyler" Catherine said.

"Why can't we go now?" Tyler asked sadly.

Catherine felt bad for him. The little boy just wanted his daddy.

"He might still be asleep. You want him to be awake when you see him right?" Lindsay asked.

"Yeah" Tyler said.

Catherine checked her phone messages to see if anyone had texted or called with any news on Nick.

"Ok, when everyone's finished eating we're gonna go to Nick's house so I can get Tyler some fresh clothes" Catherine said.

Everyone finished and they headed to Nick's house. When they got there Tyler ran off to play.

"We're not staying Tyler" Catherine said as she headed up the stairs.

"Can I get some toys?" Tyler asked.

"Go ahead" Catherine said.

She went to Tyler's room and got a few changes of clothes. Tyler ran in and grabbed his teddy bear. Catherine's phone rang and she answered it. It was Jillian telling her that the doctor was reducing Nick's sedation and removing the tube.

"We'll be there soon" Catherine said.

She gave Tyler clothes and told him to change. Tyler did and they headed to the hospital.

By the time they got there Nick was awake and sitting up in his bed.

"Daddy!" Tyler yelled when he walked into the room.

He ran over to Nick's bed, climbed on, and threw his arms around Nick's neck.

"Tyler" Nick whispered and hugged Tyler back.

He thought he'd never see Tyler ever again. Tyler cried softly into Nick's neck.

"It's ok son. Daddy's here, daddy's here" Nick said as he rubbed Tyler's back.

Everyone stood back and let the father and son have their moment. It was clear that Tyler wouldn't be leaving Nick's side anytime soon. After Tyler calmed down Catherine stepped up to Nick. She hugged him.

"I love you" Nick whispered in her ear.

"I love you too" Catherine said.

Over the next hour the rest of the team showed up.


	27. Chapter 27

Disclaimer: I own nothing except Tyler.

Nick spent another week in the hospital. He was haunted by nightmares and panic attacks. The ant bites were slowly going away. He had cream he could put on them if he needed.

His parents wanted to stay but Nick told them to go home and that he'd be fine. Catherine would be stopping in to help him and so would everyone else on the team.

Right now Nick and Tyler were in bed. Tyler was awoken by cries and shouts. He got up and went to Nick's room. He stood in the doorway and watched Nick thrash around. He walked into the room and climbed onto the bed.

"Daddy" he said tapping his face.

Nick shot up and screamed. He looked around and lay back down. He put his hands to face and cried. He was tired and just wanted to sleep but these nightmares were horrible. Tyler laid his head on Nick's shoulder.

"It's ok daddy. It's just a dream" Tyler said saying the same thing Nick said to him when he had bad dreams.

Nick couldn't help but smile. His four year old son was comforting him.

"It's ok daddy. You don't gotta be scared no more" Tyler said.

Nick smiled again. Tyler was right. It was time to start getting over this.

"I love you daddy" Tyler said.

"I love you too Tyler" Nick said.

Note: I know it's short. I ran out of time because I was being distracted in class by a person over a game.


	28. Chapter 28

Disclaimer: I own nothing except Tyler.

Nick and Tyler were watching a movie. Nick was tired from the lack of sleep he was getting because of nightmares. But he still wanted to spend time with Tyler.

"Daddy, we can stop watching it if you're tired" Tyler said.

"No buddy. I'm ok" Nick said.

"You keep yawning" Tyler said.

Nick laughed.

"I'll be ok Ty" he said.

There was a knock at the door and Nick got up to answer it. It was Catherine.

"Hi" Nick said.

They kissed and Catherine stepped in.

"How're you sleeping? And don't you lie to me" she said.

"I don't sleep all that well without the medication. But I don't wanna get dependent on it" Nick said.

"Ok. I am going to take Tyler for awhile and you are going to get some sleep" Catherine said.

"No Cath, I'm fine. I need to spend some time with Tyler" Nick said.

"How can you do that when you're exhausted?" Catherine asked.

Nick sighed. He really could use some sleep.

"Ok. I'll get him ready" he said.

He went back to the living room.

"Hey bud, you're gonna go with Catherine for a little bit. That ok?" Nick asked.

"I wanna stay with you daddy" Tyler said.

"Come on Tyler. We'll go see movie, go get some pizza, and maybe even ice cream" Catherine said.

"Ok" Tyler said.

He got up and ran off. He returned awhile later, ready to go.

"Bye daddy" Tyler said as he hugged Nick.

Nick hugged him back.

"Take a nap daddy" Tyler said.

Nick couldn't help but laugh.

"I will bud" he said.

"Promise?" Tyler asked.

"I promise" Nick said.

"Pinky swear" Tyler said.

Nick laughed and held his pinky out. Tyler wrapped his pinky around Nick's. Then he hugged him again.

"I want you to get better daddy" he said.

"I'm trying Ty, I'm trying" Nick said.

Tyler left with Catherine. Nick took a sleeping pill and laid down on the couch. He hated this. He was letting Tyler down. He was trying to put this behind him.

The power of the medication soon became to much to fight and Nick fell asleep. He got the best sleep he'd gotten since getting out of the hospital.


	29. Chapter 29

Disclaimer: I own nothing except Tyler.

That weekend Nick and Tyler were outside. It was really nice out so Nick was letting Tyler ride his bike. As Nick watched Tyler ride his bike it clicked in his mind. Tyler's fifth birthday was in just a few weeks.

He couldn't believe Tyler would be five soon. School was going to be over next week and Tyler seemed excited about Kindergarten.

"Daddy, I wanna try to ride with out training wheels" Tyler suddenly said.

"Ok bud, I'll take them off" Nick said.

He got his tools and took the training wheels off Tyler's bike. Then he settled Tyler on the bike.

"Ok, I'm gonna push you and you're gonna pedal just like you would normally. I won't let go until you say" Nick said.

"Ok" Tyler said.

Nick started pushing and Tyler started pedaling. It was going well.

"Let go" Tyler said.

"Are you sure?" Nick said.

"Yeah. Let go" Tyler said.

Nick let of the seat. Tyler didn't make it far and he fell off. He scraped his knee up.

"You made me fall daddy" Tyler said.

"You told me to let go Ty" Nick said.

"You should've been ready to catch me" Tyler said.

He stormed off, into the house. Nick sighed. He put Tyler's bike away and went inside

"Let's fix your knee Tyler" Nick said.

They went to the bathroom. Nick set Tyler on the sink. He got the disinfectant and band aids. He sprayed the disinfectant on, which only angered Tyler more. Nick put the band aid on him.

"Leave me alone daddy!" Tyler said.

He ran off to his room. Nick was hurt. Tyler had never acted like this before. He went downstairs to the kitchen. He grabbed a bottle of water and went to the living room.

He tried to tell himself that Tyler would be over it soon. But it didn't dull the hurt. He turned the TV on and flipped through the channels. He found a sports show and settled in to watch it.

Soon enough Tyler walked in.

"Daddy, I'm sorry I yelled at you. I didn't mean it" he said.

"I know you didn't buddy" Nick said.

Tyler climbed onto his lap and wrapped his arms around his neck. Nick returned the hug.

"Can I have lunch?" Tyler asked.

"Sure. What do you want?" Nick said.

"Chicken noodle soup" Tyler said.

Nick went to the kitchen and made Tyler's lunch.

"So Ty, where're we gonna have your birthday party?" Nick asked.

"Right here" Tyler said.

"You want to have it at home?" Nick asked.

"Yeah. We can have a piñata, pizza, games, and cake" Tyler said.

"Ok" Nick said.

When Tyler finished eating, they both took a nap.

Note: next chapter will be Tyler's birthday party.


	30. Chapter 30

Disclaimer: I own nothing except Tyler

Today was Tyler's birthday party with his friends. Nick had a party with everyone from the lab a few days earlier and Tyler had received several new presents. Today was his actual birthday so it was extra special.

Tyler had his whole preschool class at the house so there about eleven extra kids at the house. Nick wondered how he'd make it through the day. Luckily Catherine and Lindsay were there to help out.

Nick was setting up the food while the kids played in the playroom.

"Ok. Everyone gets one slice of pizza and a drink. I've got pepperoni and cheese. Catherine, can you help me handle the pizza?" Nick asked.

"Yeah" Catherine said.

"I can do the drinks" Lindsay said.

"Ok. Are we ready for the chaos?" Nick asked.

He called the kids to the dining room.

"Make a line" Catherine said.

The kids lined up. Eventually they got everyone settled with their pizza and drink. The kids finished eating and they went outside. Nick had set up Tyler's bounce house and his big inflatable water slide.

The kids had a lot of fun playing in the backyard. They soon went inside for cake and ice cream. Then after that would be presents. Nick couldn't wait. Tyler thought he'd received his present from Nick already, a new jungle gym for the backyard. But Nick had also bought Tyler a brand new bike, without training wheels. Since Tyler had learned to ride without them.

After the kids finished eating they opened presents. Nick gave Tyler the bike last.

"Ok Ty, there's one more present" Nick said.

He went to the garage and got the bike. He went back into the house.

Tyler's face lit up when he saw the bike.

"Wow! Thanks daddy!" he said.

He climbed onto the bike.

"You can't ride it in the house Ty" Nick said.

They went outside so Tyler could ride it. After a while they went back inside so the kids could get ready to go.

Soon enough they were all gone. Catherine and Lindsay left shortly after all the kids were gone. Nick sat down on the couch to rest. Tyler climbed onto his lap.

"Thanks the bike daddy. It's really cool" he said.

"You're welcome buddy" Nick said.

"Thanks for letting me have all my friends over" Tyler said.

"You're welcome" Nick said.

Tyler soon fell asleep on the couch, exhausted from his big day. Nick covered him with a blanket, sat in recliner chair, and fell asleep himself.

Note: so that's the end of this story. I will be doing another one that picks up where this one left off. That will most likely be on today.


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